Automobile manufacturers do not currently mass-produce passenger motor vehicles specifically designed to transport passengers having physical limitations, either as a driver or as a non-driving passenger. Consequently, mass-produced passenger vehicles are modified, or retrofitted, by a number of aftermarket companies dedicated to supplying vehicles to physically limited passengers. Such vehicles can be modified by removing certain parts or structures within a vehicle and replacing those parts with parts specifically designed to accommodate the physically limited passenger. For example in one configuration, a van is retrofitted with a ramp to enable a physically limited individual using a wheelchair to enter and exit the vehicle without the assistance of another individual.
Other known products for retrofitting a vehicle, such as a van, include wheel chair lifts, lift platforms, and lowered floor surfaces. In some instances, a door of an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) van is enlarged or otherwise modified to permit entry and exit of the physically limited individual through what is known as the assisted entrance. Once inside the van, individual who uses the assisted entrance is located in a rear passenger compartment of the van adjacent to or behind the assisted entrance.
In one known retrofitted van, an OEM van is modified to include a ramp assembly to provide a wheelchair confined individual with access to an interior of the vehicle through the rear lift gate. The “rear-entry van” is modified to include an inclined floor which is extended to the pavement by a ramp. In some vehicles, which are considered as viable candidates for retrofitting, the construction of the OEM vehicle requires significant modification to accommodate the addition of a ramp. Not only must a subfloor be added, but the rear entry opening needs to be modified to provide access to the wheelchair. Consequently, what is needed is a modification to an OEM vehicle which provides access to individuals confined to a wheelchair or other mobility alternatives to wheelchairs.